The culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) Sons and Daughters of the West programs have been recognised by Parks and Leisure Australia, winning the Community Based Initiative of the Year Award at the Victoria/Tasmania 2023 Awards of Excellence in June.

Delivered in partnership between the Western Bulldogs Community Foundation, Maribyrnong City Council, and Victoria University, the programs provide the opportunity for community members to learn more about their health, get active, and build connection with their community in a gender sensitised and culturally safe environment.

The Community Based Initiative of the Year Award is designed to recognise the combined effort that is required to successfully plan, organise, and manage effective initiatives, projects, programs, events and/or festivals which promote and enhance leisure time for a number of social, environmental, and economic benefits to the community. 

Since 2021, the CALD Sons and Daughters of the West programs have been delivered to a variety of cohorts, including Vietnamese women and men, East African Somali-speaking women and in 2023, to Iraqi Syriac men. Consultations take place ahead of each program to best tailor the experience to each cohort.

In the programs, participants develop their understanding of topics such as mental fitness, nutrition, and heart health, with content delivered in a mixture of participants’ first language and English.

General Manager of Community and Government Relations at the Western Bulldogs, Kashif Bouns, said the award was great recognition of the programs.

“We are thrilled that the culturally and linguistically diverse Sons and Daughters of the West programs have been recognised by Parks and Leisure Australia. While our mainstreams Sons & Daughters of the west programs have been long recognised as industry leaders, we felt it was important to engage with the diverse community of the west in their specific cultural settings,” Bouns said.

“Our evaluation data indicates these initiatives have impacted so many of our community members in such positive ways and we look forward to furthering this impact in 2023.

“We thank our program partners and joint award winners Maribyrnong City Council and Victoria University for the fantastic collaboration that’s allowed these programs to happen, and our Major Partner WorkSafe Victoria for their support of the Western Bulldogs Community Foundation as a whole.”

Mayor of Maribyrnong Cr Sarah Carter spoke on the impact the programs have had on the community.

“Council is dedicated to providing accessible programs that promote a healthy lifestyle and positive community connection. The Sons and Daughters of the West programs have supported hundreds of men and women improve their physical health and mental wellbeing in an inclusive and culturally safe environment,” Cr Carter said.

“Winning the 2023 Community Based Initiative of the Year Award from Parks and Leisure Australia is a wonderful achievement and testament to the quality of the programs and value to our community. We look forward to continuing to deliver the programs in conjunction with our partners the Western Bulldogs Community Foundation and Victoria University.”